End of the World
by Rytex
Summary: The world is hit with two meteors, maybe more. Those who are not dead face dark days ahead as the world prepares for one who believes he is god... T for much death. Sequel to Third Side of the Coin.  Second of Finest Fantasy Trilogy.
1. It's Happening

**Chapter one of my really dark story.**

Chapter 1: It's Happening...

Link sat in his house, chronicalling his adventures over the past months.

He had trouble concentrating.

He was sure that something was about to happen. The Ordon goats were unusually quiet and still, the cuccoos didn't squawk, etc. In essence, Hyrule was finally silent.

Link sensed a disturbance in the air at one moment a few months ago. Zelda had sensed it as well. Midna had teleported to say that strange things were happening to the animals of the Twilight Realm.

Link rubbed his eyes, sleepily. It was almost midnight. Ilia came in to see him about three hours earlier and said that something was wrong with Epona.

"She's acting like there's no tomorrow or something. She won't stop kicking and such. What's going on with her?"

He put his book away and went up to the hammock he slept in.

Zelda sat in the throne room of the castle. There was something strange going on. She had sent scouts to investigate the cracks in the desert. Instead of being dark and dead, they were bright and alive. Fire could be seen plain as day. What's worse, she sent another group out to investigate and only one came back, saying that numerous fissures had swallowed the soldiers alive.

She rubbed her eyes. What did it all mean? The animals not doing anything, the winds ranging from a mild breeze to a pure maelstrom in less than five minutes, and above all else, Lake Hylia becoming uninhabitable. The Zora had fled to Snowpeak, which had melted. The world was heating up and incinerating itself.

A bright flash illuminated the sky. Zelda jumped from her throne to see a meteor fly in the direction of the forest.

Link saw the flash and ran out to see what was happening. He saw a meteor hit the forest and a shockwave of power flew from it. His house was destroyed, Epona was blasted into a wall, and the village was falling apart. People ran out, making a huge commotion to see what had happened.

They saw that Rusl and Uli with Colin and baby Auru were safe, as were Haunch and Sara with Beth. Malo and Talo crawled from the wreckage of their house, bleeding but not badly. Their mother had been hurt, as had their father. Fado began trying to unearth them from the wreckage. Mayor Bo and Ilia were unharmed.

Then Link heard a loud Crack!

A fissure split towards Bo's house. It split to about fifty feet, causing Link to stumble and fall about three yards from the crack.

He heard screams and the sounds of people falling. He heard Ilia screaming "Father!!!!" and Rusl shouting "Uli!!!!"

He got up to see Uli holding onto the side of the edge of the fissure and Rusl trying to help her up, but the quaking wasn't helping. Link grabbed her other hand and helped her up. There was no sign of Bo. Ilia was crying uncontrollably by the side, so he feared the worst.

Zelda saw as a fissure split through Castle Town, taking many people with it. Telma's Bar, Jovani's house, the Hot Spring Water stand, all swallowed up.

Even the outer fence of the castle had broken open, causing soldiers to fall to their doom.

Zelda was overcome by all the destruction. It felt like the end of the world was coming. She saw another meteor fly down directly towards her castle. She gasped and tried to flee, even though death was inevitable.

She felt an arm grab her and felt the sensation of being disintegrated.

She appeared in the Twilight Realm.

Midna let go of her.

"I deduced the truth before you were destroyed." she said breathlessly.

"Whats going on?"

"The Apocalypse. The world is destroying itself."

"Wha-!?"

"Yeah. According to legend, the Apocalypse would be so bad that only one in seven people would survive it. And of those precious few, even more would die soon after because of the 'reshaping of the world'."

"But if it's the apocalypse, wouldn't the world truly be destroyed?"

"Not this one. Only one of seven people will survive the first wave of death, then even more will die due to the reshaping."

"Is that what's going on?"

Midna sighed.

"The Apocalypse... Why did it have to happen now?"

Link felt the collision of another meteor as it hit the castle. His first thought was if Zelda survived. Then he felt another wave of power. That wave pushed many villagers into the chasm.

When the dust settled, he, Ilia, Colin, Malo, and Fado were the only ones left.

Malo ran to the side, his face tear-streaked.

Fado shouted at him.

"Is this the apocalypse or something!?"

Link sighed.

"Yep... It's happening."

**Now for the "reshaping of the earth..." R&R**


	2. The Great Will

Chapter 2: The Great Will

Link awoke in Kakariko's Inn. It was one of the few buildings untouched by the wanton destruction. Of the Kakariko villagers and the Gorons, only Barnes, Gor Ebiezo, Gor Liggs, and Luda remained. A giant crack ran right through the middle of the road.

Link remembered the events of the previous night and sighed.

He had wanted some action, but not the Apocalypse.

Ilia stirred on the next bed.

She had cried herself to sleep. Epona had been unharmed in the two shockwaves, other than a slight bruise on her thigh.

Link had familiarized himself with the Legend of the Apocalypse that night. As far as he could tell, the two villages had the best of the luck. Castle Town was nearly decimated by the two meteors, and the Zora had died out. A chasm opened underneath their lake, sucking them in.

So much death... And still more to come...

Did the Goddesses do this? Or was this the work of another?

He walked out to the chasm. Luda was weeping by the edge. The two Goron Elders stood solemnly.

He heard a flap, like a wing and turned around to see a friend stand behind him.

"Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth nodded. His one wing vanished.

"We too were hit by this calamity. It seems like it hit worldwide. Even Black Trinity wouldn't have done this much damage to the worlds."

"Who all is dead?"

"Shinra, Kunsel, two friends of mine named Angeal and Genesis died as well. They were thrown from the top of Shinra's tower when the first meteor hit Gaia. It landed Junon, completely decimating the town."

Link nodded.

Three deities appeared. One had twisting horns and yellow-red eyes. Another looked like the radiance of the sun, and the third was clothed in red.

"Hero. It has been long since last we spoke." said Ifrit.

"Did you cause this calamity?"

"No, we dare not." said Din.

"DARE not?"

"We are not the supreme beings in the universe. There exist three greater than we. They are the true omnipotences that govern all of us." said Helios.

"Who are they?" asked Sephiroth.

"Cosmos, Chaos, and Shinryu." said Helios.

"Cosmos is the goddess of harmony, while Chaos is the god of discord, greater than Eris. Shinryu is the great dragon that keeps them in balance." continued Sephiroth thoughtfully.

"Exactly. This conflict goes back for millenia. Chaos and Cosmos are natural enemies. Chaos would raise a chosen one, and Cosmos would raise one to fight him. It was purely up to Shinryu to decide the victor. However, this time Chaos has chosen one neither he nor even Shinryu can control. Normally Cosmos has always chosen one of your predecessors, up to you." said Din.

"So who is Chaos' new pawn?" asked Link.

"We do not know. He began as a normal man. Then his mind grew twisted and warped by the power he commanded. He began to grow out of control, until finally, he was able to rival Cosmos' and Chaos' power." said Ifrit.

"Then he destroyed them." finished Sephiroth.

"Yes. Now he is able to supercede even Shinryu. Shinryu would never have sanctioned his being a deity." said Helios.

"Is this man responsible for all this?" asked Link.

"We do not know if it was his doing or Shinryu's. Either one has reasons to. Shinryu could be even now fighting the other and this was one of his many powers that are too powerful for us to comprehend." said Ifrit.

"The cycle of balance has been called the Great Will, but the Great Will has been broken." said Helios.

"What will happen next?" asked Link.

"Even Shinryu knows not." said Din.


	3. Their Foe

**Cue Dancing Mad, Nobuo!!!!!**

Chapter 3: Their Foe

Zelda and Midna discussed the same things with Eris, Eos, and Nayru. No one knew his name.

"What happened to the Dark World?" asked Midna.

Eris growled.

"Our world has been torn apart. The swamp, gone. The three villages, destroyed. Nearly the whole world has been completely and utterly destroyed."

"When we meet our foe, he will have to deal with our wrath." said Eos.

There came a high-pitched, lingering laugh. It chilled the marrow in Zelda's bones.

A man appeared. He had a green cloak over a red and yellow outfit. His face was white with a purple smile painted on his face. He had mismatched shoes and blonde hair in a short ponytail.

"I shall experience your wrath? That's a good one hahahahahahah!!!!" he said in a high pitched, almost sarcastic voice.

"Are you the one who caused this!?" thundered Zelda.

"Kefka Palazzo's the name, DESTRUCTION'S THE GAME, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!"

Many Twili soldiers ran out, including Zherin. Kefka saw the true fear in Midna's eyes and sighed with glee.

"Oh look at all the fun I shall be having!!"

Fireballs appeared in his hand and shot towards the troops, incinerating them. He also shot lightning at others, caused comets to fall on them, opened chasms, and he laughed the whole time, as if this were child's play. Zherin was wounded and he lay there, gasping. Kefka walked over to him.

"Heheheheheheh... Such a good plaything... But toys are meant-!!!"

He impaled him through the chest with a spear of his invention.

"To be broken!!!"

Zherin gave a startled cry and died.

Midna gave a horrified scream.

"Now do you realize who you face, underlings? You face me, the supreme God of the universe!!!"

He cackled and teleported away.

**Next chapter, the fun really starts. We get to meet Shinryu, and the two greatest villains in the universe have a little chat. R&R.**


	4. Sephiroth and Kefka

**So what should I say here? Cue Dancing One-Winged Mad Angel? I suppose that works.**

Chapter 4: Sephiroth and Kefka

Link raised his head, alert. Sephiroth did too.

"Did you feel that?" he asked.

"Yeah. That incredible power..."

There was the sound of laughter. It didnt sound like happy laughter. More like someone was suffering and another was laughing at it.

They both looked up to the sky. A man floated above them. He had a green coat with a primarily red and yellow outfit underneath. His hair was blonde and tied back into a ponytail. His face was pure white with a purple smile painted across it.

"KNEEL BEFORE YOUR NEW GOD!!!!" he shouted. It was a high pitched, almost sarcastic voice.

Ilia looked at him, repulsed.

Sephiroth sprouted his black wing.

"I'm gonna go see what this is about." he said.

He flew up towards the man.

"Well, if it isn't the former Fallen One!!" said the man happily.

"Who are you?" he asked, baring Masamune.

"Oh, a sweet and innocent person, much unlike yourself." he added with a sadistic chuckle.

"Who are you!?" he asked more forcefully.

"Fine. Spoilsport. My name is Kefka Palazzo. My game is DESTRUCTION!!!" he finished with a laugh.

Without warning, another meteor flew through the sky towards them. Kefka laughed even harder as he dodged and the meteor flattened some of the Aronian mountains and laid waste to Oslaes, their capital city. Sephiroth snarled and slashed at him. Kefka dodged again.

"I hope you know, that wasn't me. That was my dear friend Shinryu." he said with a sweet smile.

There came a loud roar from the heavens. It didn't sound like Shinryu agreed with Kefka.

Even though the roar contained no words, Sephiroth knew what the roar meant.

"Pretender! You have no right to proclaim yourself God when you disowned Chaos and destroyed Cosmos!"

Kefka retorted with a sputter.

"They held me back! What else was I supposed to do!?"

The roar answered.

"Nothing! You were never intended to gain this power! The Magitech infusion that your former Emperor gave you turned you into the ABOMINATION YOU ARE!!!!"

Kefka stuck his thumbs in his ears and spit into the sky, taunting the roar. The roar was now extrememly loud.

"INFIDEL!!! YOU HAVE DISOBEYED THE COURSE OF THE GREAT WILL!!!"

"And what will you do about it, oh Great Will?" Kefka mocked.

"I WILL CURSE YOU WITH FAILURE IN YOUR EFFORTS!! YOU WILL SUCCEED FOR A TIME, BUT WILL ULTIMATELY FAIL IN YOUR EFFORTS!!!"

"And who would be the one to stop me!? I am the God of this world! Greater than even you will be!!"

"I HAVE SPOKEN!!!!"

"And I heard you, loud and clear. My left ear's gonna be a little deaf now! I hope you're happy!!!"

The roar refused to answer.

"Well, now that that's been taken care of, where were we?" asked Kefka, as though the conversation with the roar hadn't happened.

Sephiroth smirked.

"Some God you are. Can't even stop a meteor from destroying your people." he said.

"Who says I want to?" Kefka asked.

"What's a God without subjects?"

"Heheheheh... A God with no hinderances!"

"How's this for a hinderance!" shouted Sephiroth as he managed to stab Kefka through the heart.

Kefka stood there in blank shock, then he started laughing.

Sephiroth was thrown backwards and he took Masamune with him. The wound healed instantly.

Kefka looked at Sephiroth with a sour expression on his face.

"What was that for!? I wasn't going to kill you!!"

"But I wasn't going to sit around and watch you destroy the world." said Sephiroth.

"Hahahahahahah!!!! You think you can stop me!? Me, the God of the universe!!!!!!"

Lightning lanced down in droves, striking people, objects, even animals, and destroying everything. A bolt blasted Link near the edge of the chasm that split Kakariko in two.

"No!"

Sephiroth flew down and took Link up to the hot springs area. A meteor began to fly towards them. He flew back up to meet it and sliced it in two with Masamune.

So Kefka made a bigger one.

This time, he blew it up with magic.

Finally, a moon-sized meteor. Sephiroth knew this would spell certain doom for the planet.

At once, all three sets of deities appeared and stopped it.

"Sephiroth! Link! You two, alongside Zepda and Midna are the last hopes for this world!" shouted Din.

"Do not fail to stop him!" shouted Helios.

"Shinryu be with you, Heroes!" said Ifrit.

They were enveloped in light before they exploded, destroying the meteor.

**So, surprise ending. Actually, I didn't plan on writing this part at the end, but I figured that if Kefka needed to be God of the Universe, he had to kill off everyone else. Anyway, I digress. R&R, or Kefka will send a meteor on your house too.**


	5. What Now?

**Finally got these chappies uploaded, though they took forever...**

**I don't own Zelda, or my favorite villain ever (UWEEHEEHEE) would be in teh gamez.**

Chapter 5: What Now?

Sephiroth sat in the ruins of Shinra Tower. Link, Zelda, and Midna sat there as well.

"What now? The deities are gone, leaving only Shinryu and Kefka behind. Obviously we fight for Shinryu, but what do we do?" asked Midna.

"I don't know. I have no idea what direction this period of time could take us to. I do remember Shinryu saying that Kefka would succeed for a time, but then he would fail." said Sephiroth.

"For all I know, he could succeed." said Midna.

Link was pondering all this.

"We have to think of a way to fight Kefka. Somehow, some way."

"I do remember Shinryu, at least I think it was him, saying something about a Magitech infusion corrupting him or some such. All I know is that Magitech was the forerunner of our materia processing. It was used by an ancient power called the Gestahlian Empire, which was around long before the Company." said Sephiroth.

"Does the Company have any records on this Empire?" asked Midna.

"It did, before Shinra Tower was crushed by the Gaia meteor."

Link looked thoughtful.

"What about the mansion at Nibelheim?"

"How do you know of that place?"

"Shinra spoke with me about it after we freed you from Jenova."

"I see."

"Well, what about it?"

"Hmm... You know, it might have records of it. The manor is known for being storage for documents no one wants to be found. To get in, you'll need a certain key, which Rufus would have on his person at all times."

"What happened to him when the meteor hit? You said he fell from the tower."

"The meteor hit Junon, causing a shockwave to roll over the land. The tower was quakeproofed, but the wave shook it, throwing them to their deaths. Then, as I flew down, a second meteor crushed the tower, flinging me out in the direction of Fondor."

"Then we need to go to Midgar and dig around the ruins to find Shinra and get that key."

"Then we can find out more about Kefka and how he became corrupted."

**As always, R&R.**


	6. The Library

**After the pathetic use of the Nibelheim Manor in 3rd Side, I decided to expand its use here.**

**And I have called on my Nobody, who remarkably is also myself, to do the disclaimer.**

**Rytex: "What?"**

**Do the stupid disclaimer.**

**Rytex: "Why?"**

**Stop asking questions. Because I said so.**

**Rytex: "OK fine. I, or rather, Other Me doesn't own Zelda."**

Chapter 6: The Library

Sephiroth landed, setting Link down onto his feet. Midna had flown there on her own, carrying Zelda.

Midgar was a total ruin. Link saw the wreckage of a tower in the center of a destroyed plate that made up the top part of the city. It was held up by many broken support pillars and as a result, the plate had fallen to the ground on it's own weight plus the meteor's.

"Start searching around the tower. Call when you find something." said Sephiroth.

"How will we know if we find something?" asked Zelda.

"When you find his dead body, call." he said.

"How subtle." muttered Link.

Over the next three hours, they searched around Midgar, looking for Shinra's body.

At nearly 4:00 that afternoon, Link uncovered a partially crushed body in a white suit. A large boulder was on top of his torso, shoulders, and up.

"I found something!" he shouted as loud as he could.

In moments, Sephiroth flew over.

With a heave, he threw the boulder away.

It was Shinra. His body was broken. He had a small amount of blood that had leaked from his face.

Sephiroth instantly began searching his jacket.

"What, no burial? No mourning? Just like that?" asked Link.

"We have no time to mourn. All that we know is at an end."

He pulled out a golden key.

"Now we go to Nibelheim. This is the key to the manor there."

He grabbed Link's tunic and took off. They flew around, grabbing Midna and Zelda, then flew toward a town near a mountain.

"That is Nibelheim. It is named after the mountain it is situated on, Mount Nibel." said Sephiroth.

"What's so special about the manor?" asked Midna.

"The manor was owned by Shinra's father for a while, but he never used it. Then it was handed over to the Science Department. For the longest time, it was used as an archives facility and a lab. Then it became privately owned by Hojo, who began to use it for his own purposes."

They descended and landed in the town. It was left alone by the meteors entirely. There was a water tower made of wood that had small buckets and troughs leading to the houses.

They entered the manor. It was old. Dust lay everywhere, but a clear path was cut through and it led up the stairs.

"It leads to the basement. That is where the lab is. I have been down there twice, and then, I never got to examine the tomes inside."

They followed the path to an upstairs bedroom. There was a stone wall in the corner. Sephiroth pushed it open. It had a winding staircase that led underground.

They followed it to a long stone hallway. At the end was a metal door.

They entered it. There was a metal table in the center of the room. The walls were stone and various scientific instruments were sattered around the room's floor. Some were shattered. There was another hall, this one shorter, with two monstrous bookcases on each side. They had many books and tomes jam-packed onto their shelves.

"This may take a while. Try to look under what you know. I'll look in the histories of Gaia."

They grabbed books and began reading. Over the next few days, they established a routine. Wake, eat breakfast, begin searching, eat lunch, continue searching, eat dinner, go to sleep.

They spent a week searching. Then, one day, Link found it.

"Here it is. Magitech infusion was a process done on only two people in history: Kefka Palazzo and Celes Chere. They were both servants of the Gestahlian Empire, an empire that ruled from present-day Fondor to present-day Termina. Nearly a millenia before the Gestahlian Empire existed, there was a very long war. Three beings, called Goddess, Fiend, and Demon, added power to humans and went to war with each other. The war became known as the War of the Magi. At the end of the war, the deities realized the sorrow they had sown among the land and made a pact with the mutated humans, now called Espers. They turned themselves to stone and the Espers got their freedom. The Gestahlian Empire used these Espers as a source for power. They infused the two people with magic power at the age of eighteen. Kefka went insane with a craze for power as a result. Celes remained normal until her dying day."

"That's it! That's how he became who he is." said Zelda.

"But what is his ultimate goal?" asked Sephiroth.

"Obviously to destroy Shinryu and take the throne of the cosmos for himself." said Link.

"And to do that he'll need lots more power." continued Sephiroth.

"What are you thinking?"

"The statues. Their very selves gushed magical power. If they were thrown out of balance, untold chaos would reign."

"So we need to find these statues?" asked Zelda.

"According to one of our legends, a floating continent was where the Warring Triad, those statues, was hidden. But there is no floating continent. Unless it is underground right now." said Midna.

"Cryonia. There's a town called Thamasa there. A shrine to the Warring Triad was made inside one of their mountains." said Sephiroth.

"That's true. I remember seeing that shrine when I visited there on diplomatic business." said Zelda.

"So, Cryonia. The Island of Fantasy, as it's commonly called by outsiders." said Sephiroth.

"Let's go then."

"It's a long journey. The island is a month from Dukomlet by boat. Which we'll have to take. There is nothing between the harbor that ships to Cryonia leave from and the island itself.

They were burning precious time, but there was no other alternative.

**R&R**


	7. Cryonia

**Enter... well, you guys will have to wait and see.**

Chapter 7: Cryonia

They voyaged for the next month. Nothing too huge happened across the world since the deities had sacrificed themselves.

They arrived just as winter had arrived.

The mountains of the island were snow-capped. It truly was a beautiful place. It had been unaffected by the meteors, so in the new world, it looked unreal.

They looked around the large island, at the towns of Pravoka, Cornelia, and other places in seach of the shrine. After a long while, they had to stop in a tiny town situated in the mountains called Narsche. The villagers there really didn't take kindly to Sephiroth's presence. Link supposed they knew about him.

That night, they were shaken awake by a few people from the village. On had a black cloak and kept a hood up. Others wore leather armor. They kept swords at their necks.

"These're the visitors, sir."

"Hm." came the grunt from the black cloaked man.

"What do you want us to do with them?"

They man was silent for a while.

"Take them to my house. I want to speak to them."

"Yes sir. Come on you four."

They were led to a relatively large house. Inside were some moderate luxury items.

They didn't get to se it all before they were led back into the cellar of the house.

The man walked into the plain brick room and removed his hood.

His appearance was, quite simply, scary. His hair was red and long enough to hide his upper face, his eyes were also red and they had vertical pupils, and his general air was that of a man who trusted no one.

"Greetings, my friends, or so I think. I'm afraid that I will have to ask for the details of your presence here in Narsche. Mr. Sephiroth, I am no threat to you, so please just answer the questions."

Sephiroth nodded, unsurprised by the fact that the man knew his name.

"First thing's first. Do you have any news since the first meteors fell? We rarely receive news from the merchants of Dukomlet because most of them do not choose to cross the sea anymore."

Sephiroth told them about Kefka and the deities.

"So it is worse than I feared. Much worse. Second, why are you here?"

Sephiroth explained that as well.

"I see. If you wish to visit the shrine, I suggest you visit Thamasa, a town some miles away."

"Actually, Thamasa is where we've been trying to reach." said Zelda.

"Indeed? Hmm... Most puzzling. The Council of Elders, our Parliament, has announced that people need to vacate the area around the town. Tremors have been going on strongly in that area since the first wave of meteors hit. I suggest you be on guard. Monsters have grown hyper-active as well. Something is about to happen. What I wouldn't give to see what happens."

"Then you can come with us. We need warriors to help." said Link.

"Mmh. You trust people too easily, child." said the man.

"I'm just about as old as you."

"You are confusing appearance with age. The effects of the magic that permeates Cryonia's air keeps everyone young and fit, even at ages in the fifties."

"So how old are you?"

"Seventeen." Link stifled a laugh.

"And you lead this town?" asked Midna incredulously.

"I only started to recently. I am Rytex Beryl of Pravoka." he said.

"Hm." said Link.

"Why did the villagers elect you the leader at seventeen?" asked Zelda.

"They didn't. I singlehandedly defeated a lone group of enemies about two weeks ago. Ever since, they made me their leader. I honestly would rather live in Pravoka right now, but, as I'm sure you noticed, pirates have captured the town. They butchered many of the townspeople and such. I was the only one left standing, though unintentionally. We'd already been devastated by four or five meteors hitting the waters near our island and causing tidal waves. The pirates executed everyone left."

"That's terrible." cried Zelda.

"No more terrible than what the meteors caused. Now, I will guide you to Thamasa tomorrow, but be warned. The shrine you intend to visit is cursed. Cursed by the now-dead deities themselves. The Warring Triad mustn't be disturbed from balance or terrible things will surely come to pass."

**Finally my other makes his debut on FanFiction. R&R.**


	8. The Floating Continent

**Classic FFVI scene. I own Zelda.**

**"LIAR!"**

**Who was that? Sounded like an earthbender.**

**Toph: "Me you idiot."**

**Dang you Toph. Anyway, I totally own Zelda.**

**Toph: "You're lying."**

**Seriously. Shut up. While I'm killing her- I mean, while we're we're talking about this backstage, enjoy the chappie.**

Chapter 8: The Floating Continent

They began to hike in the mornin. They hiked through Narsche's mines through the mountain to cut the time of the trip. They soon found themselves on a cliff overlooking a small hamlet. Night was falling and the town looked deserted.

"We must camp here tonight. This is the safest place this close to Thamasa. See that huge mountain over there?" Rytex pointed at a large mountain with a ring of clouds around the peak.

"Yeah." said Sephiroth.

"That is Mount Koltz. It is the mountain where the shrine is. The shrine has statues that not only keep the land in balance, but they also ward off most malevolent intruders. I read about Jenova and the Endirans, and learned that Jenova was sealed away with help from power of the Triad."

"So, how long will it take to search the mountain for the shrine?" asked Zelda.

"You have been here before, have you not?" asked Sephiroth.

"Yes, but after the meteors hit, everything changed. The path may have also."

"Too true." said Rytex softly.

In the morning, they walked into the deserted town. Rytex kept his hand on the hilt of his blood-red sword. He called it the Blood Sword.

"Why did we go in?" asked Midna.

"We need supplies to scale the mountain. Without supplies, the journey is much more perilous. Especially in this new world." said Link.

They got the amount needed and began to continue toward Mount Thamasa.

Once there, the entered a cave high up in the mountain and walked into a particular room.

Three stone statues stood in a perfect triangle.

"Is this the Warring Triad?" asked Link.

"No. These statues are but copies. The true Triad is hidden on the Floating Continent." said Rytex.

"And where is the Floating Continent?" asked Sephiroth.

There came a heart-stopping laugh.

A person materialized into the air.

It was Kefka.

"Why, it is quite obvious! The whole Thamasa Basin is the Floating Continent!"

Without warning, Kefka destroyed the three golden statues.

The ground rumbled.

"And now the Continent reveals itself to me!"

The area of land that detached itself from the ground tore towns apart and opened more chasms in the earth.

People fell in and the Floating Continent took to the sky.

The mountain fell apart around the six of them.

Kefka laughed.

"See? A new place to rule from... I love it!"

He laughed and vanished.

They looked at their surroundings. Everything had changed. The flat landscape sloped upward toward a mountain where three stone statues gushed magical power.

"The Triad!" shouted Link

"We have to get there before Kefka does!" shouted Rytex.

They ran as fast as they could toward the statues, but the climb was difficult.

Before long, they had made it to the top, but something was there before them.

A monstrous silver dragon flew above the statues. It had a golden chest, ruby red eyes, pearly white sharp teeth, and claws sharp enough to raze metal.

It let out a roar as it saw them. As before, Sephiroth heard it's voice in his thoughts.

"Five chosen ones! Do not let Kefka win the war! The second half of the apocalypse is about to occur, but do not fear for you are to bring light to the world once again! I give to you a portion of my power!"

It breathed a white fire upon them and they felt power enter their beings.

There came a laugh.

The laugh made their hearts stop. The one person they were trying to keep away from the Triad had found them.

**So, I just finished tearing Toph to shreds- I mean, putting her in her place- and I bet you guys already know the outcome. R&R anyway.**


	9. The Warring Triad

**I suggest you get on YouTube and look up "FFVI OST Catastrophe."**

**Now that Toph is gone, I own Zelda.**

***Stone of Agony vibrates***

**Oh what now?**

Chapter 9: Reshaping of the World

Kefka appeared.

"You led me right to it! Who says you guys are the good guys? You know, we'd make a good team. You lead me to sources of power and I destroy the world with them."

The dragon roared.

"No! I will protect this sacred triad with all that I am! Abomination! Your time is coming soon and you had best be prepared for when it does come!"

Kefka's grin became an angry snarl.

"Then let's have some fun, eh Shinryu?"

He lifted his hands to the sky. Portions of the moon detached themselves and began to fly toward the earth at a breakneck pace.

"NO!"

Shinryu took off after the meteors, leaving the five of them to stop Kefka from reaching the Triad.

Link lunged forward and stabbed Kefka.

"Blood?"

Kefka's wound wasn't healing.

"Blood! Blood! I'm bleeding!"

He began to run around maniacally.

Then he stopped.

"I hate hate hate hate..."

The continent began to shake as his anger and power level rose exponentially.

"...hate hate hate hate hate..."

Lightning flashed from him as he began to gather almost too much power.

"...hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!"

There was an explosion of energy. The statues began to move.

"Kefka! Noooo!" shouted Link.

Kefka began to laugh maniacally.

"I did it! All the power in the world is mine to command!"

Shinryu flew towards them, but then Kefka snapped his fingers and the great dragon exploded.

"No!" they all shouted.

Rytex lunged forward and trapped Kefka in between two statues.

"Run! Get away from here and get to the land below!"

They took off.

Sephiroth grabbed Link by his tunic and flew him toward the land below while Midna did the same to Zelda.

Then after five minutes, Rytex dove off the continent.

They hurtled toward the ground.

There was a massive quake.

They saw great belches of flame from the direction of Gerudo Desert and Death mountain.

Then the world began to change.

The continents began to reform and twist.

Even as Link watched, the whole Kakariko village was torn apart and swallowed by a fissure that belched flames.

Link looked up and saw a huge rock fly toward them.

"Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth was too late.

They were hit and Link flew away from Sephiroth towards the ocean below.

**I guess the SoA wouldnt let me lie, so R&R.**


	10. Dead World

**Another music piece to look up is "FFVI OST Dark World."**

**Now that the Stone of Agony has been disposed of-**

**Rytex: "Don't try it!"**

**Oh &%$# you Rytex!**

Chapter 10: Dead World

Link opened his eyes.

He was in a bed and his head was pounding.

His vision was blurred and he couldn't see.

Then he shook his head.

His vision cleared. He was in Nibelheim Mansion.

Rytex leaned against a wall, reading a book.

"Rytex?"

Rytex jumped and saw Link.

"You're awake!"

"Yeah. How long was I out?"

Rytex looked at the ground.

"A full year. You were in a coma that nearly killed you. I dove into the ocean and found you after Kefka hit us and I had Sephiroth bring us here."

"Where are Sephiroth, Midna and Zelda?"

"I don't know. They used to come by periodically to see if you were well, but the last time they visited was over three quarters of a year ago."

"What about Kefka?"

"What about him?"

"What's happened to the world?"

Rytex sighed.

"The world has practically died."

"What!"

"It started about two years ago. When Black Trinity, I think it's called that, was about to hit the planet, the deities used some of the planet's power to destroy the meteors. That began the degradation. But a year and three months ago, the planet's volcanic activity spiked. That bit of power threw Earth out of balance. Then came the meteors and Kefka pushing the statues out of alignment. That dealt the heaviest blow. Now Kefka rules the world, and there's no Shinryu to stop him. The Triforce has been shattered because the three goddesses are gone. In other words, there's almost no hope for the world."

Link let out a shaky breath.

"What do we do?"

"Everyone else on the planet has completely given up. Also, Kefka has a power to use."

"What power?"

"Light of Judgement. It vaporizes everything it touches, thus crippling the already-dead landscape."

"Where is Kefka now?"

"He's built himself a tower over the ruins of the Thamasa Basin, now called the Thamasa Mountains."

"So what do we do from here?"

"We?"

"Yeah. We have to stop Kefka."

"Stop him! He's already won. If nothing else, the world's dying a slow, torturous death, egged on by the psycho clown himself."

"And the Dark World and Twilight Realm?"

"They too have suffered. The Twilight Realm is actually gone, completely destroyed by Kefka by Light of Judgement. The Dark World has practically become this world."

Link got out of the bed.

"Where're my sword and equipment?"

"In the basement. Don't tell me you're gonna try to take him on."

"Hate to disappoint, but yeah. Someone has to save the world."

"But what about returning the world to it's former state?"

"For that, I will need another power."

He went and grabbed his stuff, then he left the manor.

The first thing he noticed was the sickly purple sky. Next was the silt under his feet.

Then he saw the fissures and destroyed houses.

He gasped.

Then snarled.

Then he yelled out and ran toward Hyrule as fast as he could.

**R&R**


	11. A Faint Glimmer of Hope

**Repeat of a certain not-so-epic battle from one of my other stories. Can you guess which one? (Keep in mind it isn't a carbon copy).**

Chapter 11: A Faint Glimmer Of Hope

It took him three long days to get there, but he arrived in the destroyed Castle Town. A tall tower stood in place of Hyrule Castle.

He ran toward it to find figures cloaked in black walking slowly in front of it. One cloak he recognized because of the small eye upon the back.

"Zelda!"

He ran forward and shook her.

She said nothing but continued muttering. He threw off her hood. She gave no notice of him or even the surrounding landscape. She even stumbled upon a rock, yet her chant continued unperturbed.

"Don't tell me you gave up..." he said, horrorstruck.

Then he took off up the tower.

As he neared the top, he saw a man with long silver hair fly out of the sky toward him.

"Sephiroth?"

But this Sephiroth had eyes of pure black.

"Not quite hero. I'm Jenova. Nice to see you again."

"Jenova? Oh shi-"

"Now then Hero. Prepare to die."

Sephiroth's Masamune appeared in hand as Jenova leapt at him. Link however, had been learning a few tricks before the Apocalypse.

Quickly, he pulled out a Deku Nut and threw it at Jenova.

It exploded in his face.

"Aaargh! My eyes!"

Link kicked Masamune out of his hand and stabbed Jenova, sending a spirit flying out of Sephiroth.

It had the same wound in it's chest. It screamed and writhed and exploded in a flash of light.

Link pulled the Master Sword out of Sephiroth. His eyes had returned to normal and he was conscious.

"Wha- what happened to- Link!"

They embraced.

"It truly has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. So how'd Jenova repossess you?"

"Inside the door to the top of the tower is a stone. I touched it and I lost consciousness. Then Jenova seized her chance and repossessed me."

"What happened to Zelda and where's Midna?"

"Zelda touched the stone as well and it took her soul. If we were to break the curse on it, her soul would return, but as of now, she is serving Kefka as a member of his cult."

"How do we break the curse?"

"We will need Rytex and his Blood Sword. And as for where Midna is, I believe she has taken refuge in Dukomlet. She at least is safe."

"Has the landscape of the world changed at all?"

"Yes. As far as I know, only Gaia and Hyrule are attached by land. Everything else has been broken off of the continent and has floated away. Termina, the polar ice cap, and Bogden up north have remained intact, but their landscapes have changed. The only part of Termina that remains vaguely the same is Ikana Canyon, already desolate before the meteors hit and the statues were moved."

"Then we need to go to Nibelheim. There we can get Rytex. He's already given up though. But if anyone can convince him that we still have a fighting chance, you can."

"Very well. Get ready to fly."

He felt himself be lifted up and flown away toward Nibelheim again.

**R&R**


	12. Detour

**Apologies on the short chappies and delay faithful readers. I've had college going on and it is NOT fun! Without further ado, I present the final three chapters of End of the World.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Detour

They flew down into the desolate courtyard.

Rytex was already out to meet them.

"Where are Zelda and Midna?"

Sephiroth explained everything to him in a few short sentences.

"I see. Then you'll be needing my sword?"

"Yeah."

"Then you might as well sign me up because there is no way I'm letting you run around with my sword unsupervised."

Sephiroth chuckled.

He picked both of them up and they flew toward Hyrule, but there was an almighty flash of light. It hit the town of Gongaga a few miles away.

"Sephiroth! Get down there now!"

He flew even faster toward the town which was already up in flames.

"What was that?" asked Link.

"Light of Judgement. Kefka must've been mad at the villagers." said Rytex.

"Or he just thought it would be fun." said Sephiroth darkly.

They landed and immediately began to help the villagers. Some were already beyond help when they got there. They rolled around screaming as flames consumed their bodies. It was a pitiful sight to watch.

"Kill me!" screamed a woman as her flaming arm grabbed Sephiroth's shoulder.

Rytex closed his eyes as his face paled.

He wordlessly drew the Blood Sword and stabbed the woman.

His voice shook as he spoke.

"Those beyond help I must kill. It is called the Blood Sword because it was forged with the power to grow sharper for every drop of blood spilled over it. The sharper the blade, the more deadly it is. And it never breaks or dulls. Once it has reached the maximum sharpness, all the energy and life of the victim goes to the attacker... It's a dark power, but a necessary one."l

They said nothing but merely nodded as the gruesome job had to be done.

When he had finished, Rytex was shaking uncontrollably.

"Now I wanna make Kefka pay for this..." he said.

He sheathed his blade and yelled to the sky.

A shape of energy began to form on his right shoulder. It resembled a wing.

Then a wing of pure white formed on his shoulder.

Rytex stared at the wing for a short time before grunting and leaping into the air, flying in the direction of Dukomlet.

Which was on the way to Kefka's Tower.

Sephiroth snarled and grabbed Link's tunic, carrying him toward Dukomlet as well.

They landed in Dukomletia, the capital city, also burnt and destroyed, but people were rebuilding.

They got Midna and flew straight to Hyrule Castle Town.

* * *

**It almost ends next chapter. Join us for Chapter 13: Dancing Mad! R&R.**


	13. Dancing Mad

**I strongly suggest you look up Dancing Mad on Youtube. Best Final Boss music EVER! (Yes, even better than One-Winged Angel). Let the climax begin.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Dancing Mad

They flew up to the top of the tower, smashed the orb, and retrieved Zelda.

Everyone had recovered from the hypnosis of the stone, so the Cult of Kefka was no more.

They explained everything to Zelda and she volunteered to join straight away. They flew through the day to the tall tower at Thamasa as fast as they could.

Before long, they arrived at the tower and flew straight up to the top of it.

"Let's go everyone. This is the most important battle yet." said Rytex.

Sephiroth went down one path of three, Link and Zelda and Midna went down another, and Rytex went town the final.

In reality, the place was surreal. There was one room that seemed made of metal, but the next room was of stone. It seemed that Kefka's Tower was made of debris

At many points during the journey, each had to assist the others.

Soon, they were all on the same catwalk that led to a small domed room.

When they entered, the Triforce was suspended in the air, within a green beam of light.

They stepped into it and they felt themselves be carried into the air through a wall.

The light took them to a throne room. They were standing in Kefka's throne room, and out of the darkness shrouding his throne came the high-pitched laugh as he emerged from the shadows.

"Hello my friends." said Kefka, almost genuinely.

"Kefka!" shouted Rytex.

"Ah yes. I thought I would be seeing you soon. Welcome to my dominion. I trust you haven't enjoyed your stay."

"How can we enjoy the world you've practically destroyed?" asked Zelda.

"Most uncomfortably of course! While I rule the world, I have no one to challenge me for my throne but you. I have become the god of this world of darkness!"

"Yet your power isn't your own!" shouted Rytex.

Kefka lifted him into the air with magic and tossed across the room.

"Au contraire! I have attained the ultimate power in the universe! You may as well be the dirt stuck to the bottom of my boots! Or the dirt stuck to the bottom of that dirt! With this power I will destroy all that my subjects build, and it will be just for my amusement!"

"People will rebuild what you tear down! Look at Dukomletia! They rebuilt from the ground after you tried to destroy them!" shouted Midna.

"Then I'll destroy those as well! Why do people insist on building things when they will without exception be destroyed? Why do people cling to life when they must know that they will inevitably die?"

"The individual victories of each day are our reason to live! Without them, life would be miserable and dull! With the world as it was, we were prosperous!"

Kefka shook violently as his anger was roused. Light poured into him as he began to transform.

"Yeesh! You all sound like lines from a self-help booklet! Well then, if anyone opposes my destruction, then they're better off being destroyed by me!"

Kefka had transformed. He was now a giant tower of monsters. They prepared and charged. The first monster had it's waist buried in the ground but it looked vaguely like Kefka. They were now in a room where the walls were of fire.

"It's the Inferno. Apparently, he's mocking Dante's Divine Comedy. I know what's coming now." said Sephiroth.

They attacked the monster and succeeded in killing it, yet more demons harassed them. Rytex struck them down swiftly, but he was almost not fast enough.

Soon, after all the beasts were vanquished, they ascended higher to a room of pure black. Men were trapped inside, but they all looked like Kekfa.

"The Purgatorio." said Sephiroth.

Again, all were vanquished as before.

Then they ascended to a place where gates to a massive golden city were.

"Paradiso." said Sephiroth.

A woman with a Kefka-figure resting his head on her lap was the monster.

"So Kefka mocks the Pietá." said Sephiroth in disgust.

The monster was again destroyed.

"Sephiroth, what's next?" asked Midna.

Sephiroth answered in a grave voice.

"God Almighty."

They ascended to a place where the sun shone brilliantly.

A purple man with six wings, four angelic and two demonic, descended. His eyes were red and his teeth were sharpened to points. He wore a red loincloth and laughed shrilly and cruelly.

The monster playing God flew at them, it's wings glowing with energy. Sephiroth managed to slice one off before it flew at them again. This time, Zelda sliced one off with her rapier. The cycle continued until it was one wing.

He charged at them, but all five stabbed the monster to the chest.

There was a colossal explosion as the demon disintegrated.

But they had returned to Kefka's Throne and he stood there with the Blood Sword stuck in his chest.

And he looked angrier than ever.

It wasn't over yet.

Kefka stood there heaving from the effort to breathe. The Blood Sword vanished from the wound into Rytex's hand.

"Kefka! Stop. None of this makes any sense." said Zelda.

Kefka started laughing.

"Destruction isn't supposed to make sense. It's only fun when it's senseless!"

He laughed as a monstrous white beam shot from his hands toward the world miles below him.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" he cackled malevolently as it carved the landscape.

"Kefka! Stop! You'll have no world to rule like this!" screamed Midna.

"It doesn't matter! The whole world's going bye-bye! You included! I shall set up this world as a monument to non-existence!"

"But what about life on the planet!" shouted Sephiroth.

Kefka stopped. He stared at the ground.

"Life... Dreams... Hope... Where did they come from? And where are they going?" he wondered aloud in a small soft voice. Then he again turned cruel and malicious.

"None of this senseless junk is enough to fill your minds with! Therefore, I shall destroy it all!"

Light began to gather around him.

"Destroy more! Must destroy more!"

It began to escape from his wound in his chest.

"Let's destroy everything!"

There was a colossal explosion. When the dust settled, Kefka was gone, but they heard a distant laugh echo. It sounded sad.

Then the sound vanished, and Kefka was no more.

They appeared in the room with the Triforce.

The room began to shake.

"Get outta here!" shouted Rytex.

He sprouted his wing.

Link saw what he was doing and attempted to stop him, but the next thing he saw was the outside of the tower.

It shook violently, then collapsed.

"Rytex!" they all shouted as one.

There was a bright flash of light.

A white magic hemisphere extended from the ruins of the tower and enveloped them before they could do a thing.

Then all that was white became black.

* * *

**Is it over? Not quite yet. R&R.**


	14. Return

**This is the final chapter. I'm really glad this is over, honestly. It should be the final of my shorter stories, so I hiope you enjoyed it (however slightly).**

* * *

Epilogue: Return

Link opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that the land outside was green.

His house was tidy, nothing was out of- HIS HOUSE!

He leapt out of bed and ran to the window.

Everything was as it had been before the Apocalypse.

Even the calendar showed that it was the day that it took place, but he heard goats sounding and knew that something I'll wasn't about the air.

At last, everything had returned to normalcy.

Zelda sat bored upon her throne. She had missed the peaceful boredom instead of the evil action that she had endured over the course of the last few months.

She closed her eyes and sighed happily as she felt the security she had not felt in almost a year and a half.

Sephiroth put a book back on the shelf in Shinra Tower, while Rufus read at a desk.

He took a deep breath. The fresh air he had not smelled since the Apocalypse filled his nostrils.

How welcome a smell it was.

But what did Rytex wish for? Was it a rewind?

Would the meteors fall again?

Only six hours would tell.

Midna sat on her throne tensely. Eos and Helios were speaking to her to say that the world had been righted by the Triforce. Zherin listened to everything they were saying with a blank expression on his face, though he remembered nothing that had happened. Apparently Rytex's dying wish had saved the world.

Rytex woke on his bed. He instantly remembered what had happened and let out a slow breath.

Then he exited his house in Pravoka and saw the second world he had created.

His wish had been granted. One world was restored, another, not nearly the same world had been created. It would truly seal Kefka away if he had sealed his fading consciousness in a void between the worlds.

Yet at last the world was safe again.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. R&R**


End file.
